AM2PM
Additive to Predictive Manufacturing for Multistorey Construction Using Learning by Printing and Networked Robotics
Team Members: Luca Bettermann, Sebastian Esser, André Borrmann
Funding: The European Innovation Council (EIC) - HORIZON.3.1
Partners: Technion Research and Development Foundation LTD, Technische Universität München, Danmarks Tekniske Univeritet, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, Wasp SRL, Fenix TNT SRO
Running Period: 10/2024 - 09/2028
Description
Additive manufacturing technology, specifically 3D concrete printing, addresses the need for speed and digitisation in construction. This technology is well-suited for adopting digital advancements and automating construction processes to achieve environmental sustainability, reduce costs, and enable complex designs. The EU-funded AM2PM project aims to revolutionise construction sites for multistorey buildings by making them digital and sustainable. It seeks to reduce material use and embodied carbon by 50 %, in alignment with the EU Green Deal, New European Bauhaus, and EU Digital Strategy to combat climate change. The project will use AM in construction, integrating multi-agent human-robotic systems, computational design, and sustainable cementitious materials. Additionally, AI models will be employed to predict and control the manufacturing process.
Objective
The negative environmental impact of construction, effects of global climate change, global housing shortage, and rising labor costs due to a shortage of skilled workers are driving the construction industry to question traditional construction methods and push the limits of innovation. In this quest, additive manufacturing (AM) technology (in particular 3D concrete printing (3DCP)) is gaining ground in the construction industry to respond to the urgent demand for acceleration and digitization. The method of automating construction by reading digital models of buildings is undoubtedly key for the construction industry to achieve environmental sustainability, cost reduction, and realize complex shaped designs. 3DCP is thus well suited to adopting digital technologies and automating construction.
The vision of AM2PM is to transform the traditional construction site for multistorey buildings into a digital and sustainable site of the future with a 50% reduction in material use and embodied carbon. This is in line with the EU green deal, New European Bauhaus and EU Digital Strategy to mitigate climate change and reduce carbon emissions.
AM2PM will introduce a paradigm shift in the application of AM in construction through a comprehensive system-of-systems approach that intertwines a) multi-agent human-robotic systems that work collaboratively on site in a well-coordinated and safe manner, b) computational design of components considering buildability and environmental efficiency, c) design of the requisite sustainable cementitious materials using granular recycled and locally available material, d) AI models to predict and control the manufacturing process and e) the digital twin construction information backbone that enables cohesive operation of the design and production system as a whole.
The result would be transformational, achieving a 50% reduction in material use, would reduce embodied CO2 by up to 29 million tons and potentially save >€11 billion annually.
More information here.